I'm considering detailing, to make extra cash. After searchig the site, I wanted to hear some of the horror stories you may have had. So lets hear it, about the customers who want you to perform a small miracle to get a shine on a negleted car. The cheapskate who will find anything wrong so he won't have to pay full price, the non tipper, the family member who wants that 1/2 off because you ate dinner at their house. These questions are not intended to bash anyone, but people make the world go round. Thanks for the input.
Pitfalls to beginner detailing?
- Thread starter The Game
- Start date
brwill2005
New member
When you first start out, your going to have to accept certain types of situations. Many are similar to the ones you have mentioned. It comes down to how bad you want to make some extra money. If you do not have an established reputation, you may have to do some really dirty cars for less money than you would like. Eventually, if you do good work, the customers who are willing to pay top dollar will come.
safetyman2010
New member
Scott, as you well know most of the guys entering the detailing business will never really take it seriously and that's why they fail.
rollman
Professional Detailer
Scottwax said:
bingo ! I couldn't have said it better. It's a real downer when you ruin the paint on a new BMW and you don't have insurance . :waxing:
imported_ajbarnes
New member
Scottwax said:
Second!
I couldn't agree with you more.
White95Max
New member
The only problems I've had so far are:
1. Expecting myself to perform miracles on severely-neglected paint. When the paint has been parked outside for 15 years with no protection, it would take a bigger miracle than I can perform in order to bring it back.
2. Expecting too much from the PC. The rotary is much faster than a PC. I never bother with the PC for swirls anymore. It's basically just for final polishing, and removing any holograms left from the rotary.
1. Expecting myself to perform miracles on severely-neglected paint. When the paint has been parked outside for 15 years with no protection, it would take a bigger miracle than I can perform in order to bring it back.
2. Expecting too much from the PC. The rotary is much faster than a PC. I never bother with the PC for swirls anymore. It's basically just for final polishing, and removing any holograms left from the rotary.
imported_mirrorfinishman
New member
The Game said:
I recently had a new customer who called me about detailing his 2001 Durango. After I was done detailing it, I was amazed how the guy was like in slow motion checking every little thing, trying to find something that I didn't completely clean.
He never said a word, he just walked around looking at the vehicle from every possible angle. He opened every door, checked the door jams, checked the windows, checked under the seats. It must have taken him 15 minutes. I remained silent the whole time just watching him go through his routine. I was beginning to get the impression that he was becoming disappointed because he had not found anything that I missed.
Before he wrote out the check, he did one last thing; he wiped his finger across his custom wheels just to make sure they were clean. At that point I told him that those wheels have been polished and now have a protective coating of polymer wax; they better come up clean. He then looked at his clean finger and decided it was time to pay me the full price I had quoted.
Up until the time he checked those wheels, I was willing to overlook his actions. However, once he began to wipe his finger across those wheels, that's when I decided I would never do any work for him again. When it was over, I simply said thank you, got in my truck and drove away. And when I got back to the office, I simply placed him on my list of customers to avoid. Hey, it's probably been over 5 years since I have added someone to that list.
Accumulator
Well-known member
Mirrorfinishman- Don't you think you might be a little hard on the guy? Maybe he was just satisfying himself that you're the kind of detailer he wants to use. Doing the inspection in front of you might've been his way of allowing for you to explain anything he might have found unsatisfactory (you wouldn't want him doing the finger-on-wheel test after he'd driven it, right?). Could be that after his thorough inspection, he figured he'd finally found somebody who could keep him happy. Perhaps he'd used other "pros" and found problems after he got the car home, when it's too late to (fairly) bring them up.
If circumstances ever forced me to use a pro, you can bet I'd give the first few jobs that kind of going over. In fact, I probably spend at least that 15 minutes inspecting my *own* work when I'm finished, and that's after all the inspecting I do during the job.
Just a thought, as you might be kissing off a guy who could become one of your best customers.
If circumstances ever forced me to use a pro, you can bet I'd give the first few jobs that kind of going over. In fact, I probably spend at least that 15 minutes inspecting my *own* work when I'm finished, and that's after all the inspecting I do during the job.
Just a thought, as you might be kissing off a guy who could become one of your best customers.
ScubaStevo
New member
The downfall is working on POS cars. Like me. 
And not having insurance, so not being able to use the rotary kinda screws you over in some situation.
And not having insurance, so not being able to use the rotary kinda screws you over in some situation.magictouch24
New member
Location, volume and insurance have been my pitfalls. Location because I originally worked out of my driveway until zoning laws truly became an issue (your level of professionalism is somewhat affected when you work out of your house..) but that situation has now been fixed since I am renting out a shop. Volume is normally not *too* much of an issue for me - I have enough business to sustain myself as a college student with a lot of money saved up, but I couldn't support a family yet I don't think. That is to be expected when starting a business like this - you need to build up clientele, it isn't an overnight thing.
Insurance has also been an issue because as I've explained in other posts, no IC's would take me on when I was working out of my driveway and more recently, the excuse has been that I don't have enough experience or something. I still use a rotary on 9 out of 10 cars that I detail because I'm careful and I have the money to back-up any terrible mistake I might make.
I think the business management part of my business is the easiest - for me anyway. If I could find someone I trust to detail in my place and thus allow me to go out and run the business, I would much rather do that because my passion lies in business, not just detailing.
Insurance has also been an issue because as I've explained in other posts, no IC's would take me on when I was working out of my driveway and more recently, the excuse has been that I don't have enough experience or something. I still use a rotary on 9 out of 10 cars that I detail because I'm careful and I have the money to back-up any terrible mistake I might make.
I think the business management part of my business is the easiest - for me anyway. If I could find someone I trust to detail in my place and thus allow me to go out and run the business, I would much rather do that because my passion lies in business, not just detailing.
Spilchy
New member
Accumulator said:
Amen. Wouldn't you do the same Frank? Wouldn't all of us on this board? Imagine what all of us do when we need body work done.
I had my bushes trimmed by the landscapers yesterday and the heat index was at 100 degrees. When completed, I had the gardener wait while I inspected the bushes and made him go back and fix areas (some as 1 story high) that I deemed unacceptable as he was sweating buckets.
We have been using him for years, but on occasion, his work needs to be corrected. When done, I tossed him a bottle of Poland Spring and went inside.
A few months ago, I posted pics of an Audi A8 I did. The owner wiped his finger darn near under the bumper. I indicated it was poilshed and covered with Klasse. He didn't say anything either. He paid me. I'll be happy to detail for him any time, because like you, I don't skimp on my work.
If anything, no complaints after that inspection shows how good you are at your profession.
detailthis
New member
magictouch24 said:
I also had the same problem with the insurance.You just have to open the phone book and call every single independent insurance agent. If I could find insurance you can. I work out of my home(just starting out), have had no prior coverage, and am only 20yrs old. I'm also insured for pick up and delivery. So you can't give up, work with like 5 agents at a time.
My problem now is trying to establish some credit so I can finance some professonial equipment. Also, trying to find quality retail customers isn't easy. I'm relying on some work from an auto broker right now,which isn't too bad.
safetyman2010
New member
Accumulator said:
I somewhat agree with you on this one. One of the pickiest people I have ever met became my best customer and has spent tens of thousands of dollars at my shop over the years. He was a major PITA at first but after he came to trust me I never hear a peep from him and he has actually became a really trusted mentor and advisor. Never burn a bridge. That being said, I can honestly say that I would not be impressed if someone spent 15 minutes inspecting a vehicle I had done with the sole intention of finding something to throw in my face. I think it boils down to the fact that people in this day and age have no manners.
Accumulator
Well-known member
ShineShop said:
Amen to the lack of manners today!
I think the customer's attitude can mean a lot here and when people are less than polite/considerate it's hard to always know just what they're up to. Looking to find fault for no truly constructive purpose, just to "have something to throw in your face" would be inexcusible! A thorough inspection for the *right* reasons would be something different and it itsn't that hard to get one's good/constructive intentions across. Yeah, a little polite behavior, a little consideration for the person being evaluated, goes a long way. There have been people who decided they can't do business with me, but none of them will ever say that I was unfair or impolite.
Consider that I keep things like the inner parts of my rims spotlessly clean, even doing the backs of the spokes at every wash. I check my *own* work to make sure I didn't miss anything, why wouldn't I check those areas if I paid somebody to do it for me? To me it's a no-brainer, as basic as checking that the windshield isn't smeared. But if they didn't *know* that I consider this part of a "regular wash", they might think I was just being picky for the sake of it. It's their job to do the work, but it's *my* job to let them know up front what I expect. While it's not really their business *why* I want things the way I do, explaining such things anyhow does help them understand where I'm coming from.
AutoAppearances
New member
mirrorfinishman:
Hey I agree with you!!!
Avoid those types!!
Hey I agree with you!!!
Avoid those types!!
AutoAppearances said:
Without being there in person, I can't say whether or not I agree with Frank or with some of the others with 100% certainty. I wasn't there to judge the customer's overall demeanor but Frank was so it could be his impression that this person was so obnoxious about the inspection he isn't someone he'd want to do business with again.
Personally, I don't mind the customer checking my work. I know I am not perfect and sometimes after looking at a car for several hours, it is nice to have a fresh set of eyes look it over. Honestly, I'd prefer that new customers really check my work-because I want to make sure I take care of any areas that they are extra picky about and also to show off my work-the guy with the Jeep I have in my latest thread in click and brag was just stunned at the attention I paid to his fenderwells.
imported_mirrorfinishman
New member
Scottwax said:
BINGO!
Scott, you are the man!
Clearly, it was just his overall attitude and the way he went about it. My first clue was the fact that he was extremely silent. He never said a word the whole time. Even when I commented about the wheels being polished and waxed he still remained silent. It was a very strange encounter.
It's very possible that maybe he had a bad experience with having his vehicle detailed before. If that's the case, that's unfortunate. However, that has nothing to do with me.
Personally, I would much rather deal with people who are friendly. After all, isn't one of the benefits of owning your own business being able to choose who you're going to work for?
In summary, for a beginner detailer it's all about being confident in making sure you will be able to get the results necessary to satisfy your customer. It's that simple.
AutoAppearances
New member
mirrorfinishman:
Very true, he might of had a bad experience.. I really should of not even posted anything. I was not there and don't the customer.. It is easy to post what we would do when we are not there...
I have a very good customer that did the same to me once. He started the second I got on the job. Then I shut everything and started to pack up. He said 'what are you doning'. I told him ' I am getting a feeling that if I spent 4 days detailing your car it still would not be what you expect')
He said he was sorry and told me that he has had so many bad experiences with other detailers.
I told that I am not one of those guys and give a chance.
This guy has become one of my best customers and is always getting me more business..
Very true, he might of had a bad experience.. I really should of not even posted anything. I was not there and don't the customer.. It is easy to post what we would do when we are not there...
I have a very good customer that did the same to me once. He started the second I got on the job. Then I shut everything and started to pack up. He said 'what are you doning'. I told him ' I am getting a feeling that if I spent 4 days detailing your car it still would not be what you expect')
He said he was sorry and told me that he has had so many bad experiences with other detailers.
I told that I am not one of those guys and give a chance.
This guy has become one of my best customers and is always getting me more business..